Clafoutis Variation: Paris Sweets

This slightly gussied-up version of the simple classic is from Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets, a collection of wonderful recipes the author collected from famous parisian patisseries. I love this cookbook, and Ms. Greenspan, because both are not only inspired, but entirely reliable. My copy is ratty and stained, due to serious use. Often, in the middle of one of Ms. Greenspan's recipes, there will be a description of what things should look like at that point, cautions on pitfalls to avoid, or timely reassurances when you wonder if you've made a mistake. She can do this, because she has clearly, herself, made all these recipes- and not only once.

You can be confident that all her recipes, here and elsewhere, are properly tested and proof-read, and this is, sadly, not all that common. Many cookbooks have recipes which sound wonderful, but are horribly disappointing in the execution. How often have you tried a good-sounding recipe from a newspaper which just didn't work, and wondered if someone just made it up, and wrote it down, without ever trying it? Probably, to be truly useful, a cookbook review should be written by someone who has tried a good portion of the recipes. I guess this is not generally practical for most print reviewers. Which is why I've taken to looking up cookbooks in blogs I trust, when I'm thinking of buying one.

I often consult Paris Sweets when I want to make a company dessert. Tonight, we're having shrimp and corn chowder, salad, and biscuits for dinner. I had an unbaked tart shell sitting in my favorite little square pan, and about 12 oz. of frozen, organic sour pie cherries. This variant clafoutis used both and sounded like a good candidate. I've made claufoutis before, usually in a skillet- more like a big pancake or cake, finished in the oven. This one, from Patisserie Mulot, is literally "tarted up", in that it is baked in a pastry shell. This makes it possible to have a softer, more custardy filling, since the pastry gives it form.

The only thing I did differently from the Paris Sweets recipe is a little trick I learned from Paula Wolfert's clafouti recipe from The Cooking of Southwest France-a simpler recipe I'm more likely to make on the spur of the moment. (Not that this one is in any way complex-except for doing the pastry.) When you are baking with frozen cherries, if you put a few spoonsful of the sugar, taken from the sugar in your recipe, into a plasic freezer bag with the frozen cherries, shake it up well, and put it back in the freezer for a few hours, this prevents the cherries from bleeding into custard or dough, or whatever you are making. Also in aid of the non-bleeding thing, I set the cherries on the partly baked shell, and poured the custard over-rather than mixing them into the custard.

To make this you need:
1 partially baked 9 inch tart shell in loose bottomed tart pan
3 eggs
6 tbsps sugar-or a bit more if cherries are very sour
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsps real vanilla extract
11 oz frozen, pitted cherries (pref sour)

note:it is actually traditional to leave the pits in for flavor, and this works, but nearly everyone complains that it is too much trouble to eat this way. I like it, but I don't think anyone else I know does- so I don't try it on any more

Preheat oven to 400F. Put partially baked tart shell on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Set the cherries on the shell in a single layer, distributing them randomly, but more or less evenly. Beat eggs well with sugar and vanilla. Add cream and mix thoroughly. Do not overbeat,at this point, or you will add too much air and volume. Pour over cherries. Bake about 30 minutes, until custard is set. It should not jiggle-even in the middle. Cool a bit, and remove from tart pan. Serve slightly warm, or at room temperature.

By the way, if you search Toast with my little google device, over on the left side there, for "Paris Sweets" you will find several other recipes from this very nice book.

Comments

[Rebecca]

This sounds divine, but where in the world did you obtain those cherries? Did you save some from the summer and freeze them yourself? Or did you find a source? I know that frozen are much better than canned for an out-of-season pie.

[lindy]

Rebecca- I was surprised to find them at the Waterfront Giant Eagle-in Homestead- the section near the produce with the frozen vegetarian and organic items (as opposed to in the frozen foods with the other fruits). There was one more bag left on Wednesday-about 20 oz, per bag.

[Ivonne]

I could not agree with you more about Dorie Greenspan and Paris Sweets. Your clafoutis is gorgeous!

[Kimberly]

On your chowder post, I left a note to myself: do not visit Lindy's blog when hungry. How quickly I forget...

And what a beautiful clafoutis. I wish I were at your place for dinner tonight!

[Baking Soda]

What a beautiful clafoutis! (love the color-coordinated cloth). I cannot agree more on the subject of cookbooks and their reviewers. Any author that takes the trouble of cautioning or encouraging you while making the recipe, assuring you that the stuff
you're making should look like it does has my trust. I will try to find some of Mrs Greenspans recipes. Thank you.

[Melissa]

That cherry trick is fascinating. I'm tempted to go out and buy some frozen cherries just to try it out!

I, too, love Paris Sweets. Dorie has a real gift for explaining techniques, and of course for showcasing phenomenal recipes! Have you tried the Korova cookies? I can't think about them without my stomach starting to rumble...

[lindy]

I'm not surprised to find more D. G. fans. She really does have a gift, as well as the consistency and effort to follow things through properly. Altogether admirable.
Yes, Melissa-the Korova Cookies are pretty much my favorite chocolate cookie of all time! That chocolate/salt thing is to die for. I actually discovered Paris Sweets following up on the Korova Cookies-my daughter had found the recipe for them in a New York Times Magazine article . She made them and gave us all some one Christmas. They were so good-I had to know more!

[Melissa]

Gosh, that is beautiful! Lovely colors of the plate and the linens in the photo!

[Julie]

Your clafoutis looks elegant and beautiful.

I have a clafoutis recipe sitting on my recipes-to-try pile but it sounds like a more rustic thing -- I believe it's made in an iron skillet. It's working its way to the top of the pile. Maybe soon.

[Luisa]

Amen to your words on Dorie Greenspan. Everything she recommends is delicious! And sour cherry clafoutis? Quite possibly one of the best desserts in the WORLD. Oh, delicious.